Ultraman Taiga (character)
is the titular Ultra Hero of the series Ultraman Taiga and is one of the three Ultra Warriors who merge with Hiroyuki Kudo. He is the son of Ultraman Taro, and debuts along with Ultraman Titas and Ultraman Fuma as the first Ultra Warriors in the Reiwa era. Deep inside, he wishes his father Taro to understand and recognize him, but he cannot admit his true feelings. He has a strong sense of justice and is very enthusiastic. Along with Titas and Fuma, he founded the Tri-Squad. Although he is still young and not skilled, he is dedicated to fighting for peace on Earth. Together with Hiroyuki, he grows to become a true Ultraman.https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/1162 Etymology Just like how his father Taro has a common Japanese name, Taiga does as well. History Past Taiga was one of the top cadets in the Space Garrison, long before he ever met Titas and Fuma. He trained on , a beautiful planet far away, located between a giant sun and a black hole. During his youth, Taiga used to confide in his friend Filis, who acknowledged him as himself, and not just the son of Taro. He would often visit Filis at work, and learned about Ultraman Mebius and his human friends from the stories that Filis told him. At some point in time, presumably after completing his training, his father Taro entrusted him with the Taiga Spark, advising him to form bonds with others. Conflict Against the Guar Army During his training, Taiga once had a run-in with the Guar Army general, , who summoned and to attack him. Taiga had heard of the Guar Army before, from Zoffy. The cyborg kaiju attacked Taiga, but he was saved by an armored warrior . Other Events Taiga once traveled to Planet U40 and stayed there for some time under the care of Ultraman Joneus. Sometime later, he met Titas who decided to join him on his adventures. They later went to Planet O-50 to defend the Warrior's Peak from aliens who wanted to destroy it, and they met Fuma. Thus, the Tri-Squad was formed. At some time, they went to Planet Dino to fight against a robot army, and were almost sucked into a black hole. Pre-Ultraman Taiga Twelve years ago, Taiga and his team, the Tri-Squad, attempted to fight Ultraman Tregear after the other New Generation Heroes had been defeated. As a gift, the New Generation Heroes gave their light to the Tri-Squad, with Taiga receiving the lights of Ultraman Orb, Ultraman Rosso and Ultraman Blu. Taiga, Titas and Fuma ignored Taro's warning not to fight Tregear and attacked him. Despite being able to strike him a few times, their combined strength was not even close to enough to defeat their opponent. Titas and Fuma were reduced to particles, which enraged Taiga. He charged ahead, but soon shared the fate of his comrades. Somehow, Taiga's particles descended to Earth. When Hiroyuki Kudo was attacked by an alien while trying to save his pet, Taiga saved the boy and bonded with him as he was falling from the sky. Ultraman Taiga Battles on Earth After twelve years, Hiroyuki worked under EGIS. Taiga helped Hiroyuki out during a mission with Alien Rivers Kawazu, talking to the man through telepathy. After Hellberus attacks Young Mother Zandrias and sets the building Hiroyuki was in ablaze, Taiga emerges, allowing him to transform and fight Hellberus and save both the mother and baby Zandrias. After the battle, Taiga appears before Hiroyuki to talk to him. Back at the EGIS base, Taiga explains to Hiroyuki the circumstances of how he came to dwell in Hiroyuki. While dealing with a King Guesra, who happens to be Hiroyuki's old pet Chibisuke, Tregear appears and toys with Taiga by beating and mocking him. Taiga and Chibisuke try to fight Tregear, but they are no match for him. Tregear kills Chibisuke, further enraging Taiga and Hiroyuki. Tregear disappears after Taiga uses his Flame Blaster. Taiga, Titas and Fuma are reunited during the battle against Deavorick, and the Tri-Squad continues to protect the Earth along with Hiroyuki and EGIS. The Earth And the Sun Night Fang appeared, upon being unsealed by Alien Babarue through Ai Tennoji's latent powers. Night Fang first bested Fuma and then Taiga before taking off towards the city. As soon as it landed, Night Fang emitted sound waves from its third eye, causing everyone in the vicinity to fall asleep and get trapped in nightmares, which Night Fang fed off of. Luckily, Pirika Asahikawa, who was still awake due to wearing headphones that muffled out the sounds, woke the city up using noise cancelling devices. Hiroyuki Kudo quickly transformed into Taiga, but was still not a match for Night Fang. Seeing this, Ai Tennoji went to aid Taiga by drawing out the remains of the Earth's energy within Night Fang, to summon the sword of light that once sealed it away, and granted it to Taiga. The Taiga Key Holder reacted with it and absorbed its energy, transforming Taiga into his new form, Photon Earth. With the power of the Earth within him, Taiga trounced Night Fang and destroyed it once and for all with the Aurum Storium. Watching the battle, Kirisaki changed into Ultraman Tregear to test Taiga's new power, but it was still not enough to even injure him. Tregear left shortly afterwards, expecting nothing less of the son of Taro. Returning back to the form of Kirisaki, he draws a tarot card from a deck he was shuffling earlier, revealing the Fool. Photon Earth's power continued to prove useful against other threats such as Majappa, Alien Nackle Odyssa, and Gymaira. Taiga's Fall to Darkness Unbeknownst to Taiga, his soul had been flooded with darkness as a result of using the Kaiju Rings. He started to become more aggressive when fighting his enemies, as seen during his battle against Gigadelos. As Taiga fought against Skull Gomora, he nearly went berserk and demanded that Hiroyuki use the Kaiju Rings. Taiga proceeded to violently maul Skull Gomora, but was shocked at his own actions when the battle was over. Ultraman Tregear then appeared before him once again, and they got into a brief fight. Still, Taiga wanted more power and forced Hiroyuki to use the Hellberus Ring against his will. Tregear took the chance to release the accumulated darkness within Taiga, gradually turning him into an unresponsive puppet while shutting Hiroyuki, Titas and Fuma out while losing his Taiga Spark in the process. Tregear taunted Taro and claimed Taiga as his partner in the darkness. After being knocked out by Kirisaki, Hiroyuki sees Taiga in the darkness and tries to bring him back. Tregear suddenly appears and tempts Taiga further down the path of darkness, kicking Hiroyuki out of his soul. In an attempt to find out what was wrong with Hiroyuki, the other members of EGIS used brain wave synchronizing devices to enter his mind. The encouragement from his friends, as well as Titas and Fuma, allowed Hiroyuki to clear the darkness inside Taiga and bring him back to his senses. The Tri-Squad and Hiroyuki were once again reunited. The Tri-Squad's Miracle Having been freed from the dark influence by his friends, the power of bonds between them culminates in a new form for Taiga: Tri-Strium. Using this new power, Taiga easily defeated the two kaiju Kirisaki summoned; Hellberus and Night Fang. Enraged at the fact that Taiga had overcome the darkness and ruined his plans, Kirisaki transformed into Tregear to fight him. However, Taiga was even stronger now and could fight evenly against Tregear. Taiga drives him away using the Tri-Strium Burst. Personality Despite being relatively young, Taiga is shown to be very enthusiastic in being an Ultra Warrior and has the expected qualities of one, exhibiting both bravery and kindness. Although he is the youngest and described as the hothead of the Tri-Squad, he is also the leader of the team and cares deeply for his friends. Being the son of Ultraman Taro, Taiga is almost always only referred to as such instead of himself and thus, he is almost never called by his name by others, except for those close to him such as his friend Filis, which is a source of frustration for Taiga. Other than that, he also has a desire to be acknowledged by his father, which reminds Taro of his youthful self and his relation with his own father, Father of Ultra. Taiga is not without flaws. He overestimates his ability in combat which could lead to him being impulsive and careless, despite being a highly competent fighter. Taiga also harbors a great hatred towards Tregear for seemingly destroying his friends in the past, and can get greatly enraged just at the mere sight of him. Starting from episode 14, Taiga becomes more reckless and sensitive during a battle, most likely due to the side effect of the Kaiju Rings, which slowly corrupt his soul. He has since overcome those side effects after his friends saved him from the darkness. Profile Stats *'Height': 50 m *'Weight': 40,000 t **'Photon Earth': 55,000 t **'Tri-Strium': 50,000 t *'Time Limit': 3 Minutes Body Features *'Ultra Armor': Standard Ultra Armor, which is resistant to fire and lasers. However, like most Ultras from M78, it is weak to the cold. When assuming Photon Earth, it switches to a black and silver color scheme. *'Ultra Horns': Inherited from his father, Taiga has horns on the sides of his head. *'Protector': Taiga has a Protector on his chest, and is blue in color. In his other forms, they appear on other parts of his body, and change to gold in Photon Earth form. *'Color Timer' *'Beam Lamp' * : A multi-purpose item that allows Taiga to perform various techniques and abilities. It was granted to him by Ultraman Taro. Transformation Hiroyuki slides down the block lever of the Taiga Spark to activate it, takes the Taiga Key Holder and scans it, then raises his hand while shouting his transformation call. TaigaRise.gif|Taiga's rise TaigaTransformation.gif|First transformation TaigaHenshin.gif|Standard transformation sequence TaigaHenshinExtended.gif|Slightly extended sequence - Real Time= TaigaHenshinRealTime.gif }} - Photon Earth= Hiroyuki slides down the block lever of the Taiga Spark to activate it, takes the Taiga Photon Earth Key Holder and scans it, then raises his hand while shouting his transformation call. PhotonEarthRise.gif|Taiga Photon Earth's rise PhotonEarthHenshin.gif|Standard transformation sequence PEHenshinExtend.gif|Slightly extended sequence - Tri-Strium= The first time Hiroyuki transforms, he scans the Tri-Squad-let to summon the Taiga Tri Blade. He then spins the wheel on its body and presses on the trigger to transform. In subsequent transformations, he simply summons the Taiga Tri Blade without having to scan the Tri-Squad-let. TriStriumRise.gif|Taiga Tri-Strium's rise TriStriumFirstHenshin.gif|First transformation TriStriumHenshinStandard.gif|Standard transformation sequence }} Forms : Also spelled Strium Blaster'https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/heroes/ultraman-taigaDue to many inconsistencies and arguments, as well as the fact that Tsuburaya only recently made English names feasibly easy to find, the wiki uses "Storium" for the beam's name. "Strium" is used for Ultra's form names because of Ginga "Strium" and Orb "Strium" Galaxy's names explicitly being spelled that way. More elaboration is available on Ultraman Taro's page., this attack is similar to his father's "T" style Storium Ray, but with mirrored arm position. It is fired from the Taiga Spark. * : Energy bullets fired from his hands in a left-handed "+". *'Energy Flare': Taiga fires many energy projectiles to counter incoming projectile attacks. * : Taiga rapidly fires red energy arrows from his hands, nearly identical to the same technique used by his father. *'Dark Energy Ray': When put under dark influence, Taiga was able to fire a ray of dark energy in a left-handed "+". *'Ultra Slash': Taiga summons a buzzsaw-like energy wheel from his hand. StoriumBlaster.gif|Storium Blaster Swallow Bullet.gif|Swallow Bullet TaigaFlare.gif|Energy Flare TaigaHandBeam.gif|Hand Beam TaigaDarkBeam.gif|Dark Energy Ray TaigaSlash.gif|Ultra Slash ::;Via Bracelet Type Ultra Taiga Accessories * : After scanning the Orb-let, Taiga's Storium Blaster is enhanced in energy of light. * : After scanning the Rosso-let, Taiga's Storium Blaster is enhanced in flame energy. * : After scanning the Blu-let, Taiga's Storium Blaster is enhanced in water energy. Supreme Blaster.gif|Supreme Blaster Flame Blaster.gif|Flame Blaster AquaBlaster.gif|Aqua Blaster ::;Physical *'Ultra V Barrier': Taiga can cross his arms to block attacks. * : A jumping kick attack. **'Swallow Kick': Taiga can perform his own version of his father's signature flying kick attack. * : Taiga's punching technique. It is stated to be strong enough to knock out a kaiju. **'Rapid Punches': Like Taro, Taiga is able to rapidly punch an opponent, stunning them in place. * : A throwing technique. *'Hand Chop': A chop attack capable of splitting a fireball in half in midair. Taiga V Barrier.gif|Ultra V Barrier TaigaKick.jpg|Taiga Kick TaigaSwallowKick.gif|Swallow Kick TaigaBlow.jpg|Taiga Blow TaigaRapidPunch.gif|Rapid Punches Taiga Swing.png|Taiga Swing Taiga Hand Chop.gif|Hand Chop - Photon Earth= Photon Earth is Taiga's armored power-up form, in which he becomes the http://www.dcd-ultraman.com/news/123/. This power was granted to him through Ai Tennoji's mystical sword, and is accessed through the use of the Taiga Photon Earth Key Holder. With the energy of the Earth and Sun forming a suit of armor around him, Taiga's strength and resilience are increased at a slight trade-off for speed. This form makes its debut in episode 8. :;Stats *'Maximum Flight Speed': Mach 8 *'Maximum Running Speed': Mach 1.5 *'Maximum Jumping Distance': 600 m *'Underwater Traveling Speed': 130 knots *'Underground Traveling Speed': Mach 0.8 *'Brute Strength': 100,000 t *'Grip Strength': 70,000 t :;Techniques ::;Special * : Taiga's enhanced finisher beam, where he summons a golden aurora to charge up and fire a golden beam from the Taiga Spark. It is far more powerful than the Storium Blaster, as this beam was able to finish off Night Fang while an enhanced version of the prior, Aqua Blaster, failed to do any substantial damage to it. Aurum is Latin for "Gold". **Upon being enhanced by absorbing water from the ocean of Planet Sarasa, which Maria unleashed, the beam turns blue and is powerful enough to cut Gymaira in half on contact. * : Taiga freezes water, turning it into shards of ice which then fly towards the target to damage them. Although used differently, it has the same name and is similar in nature to his father's technique. * : A golden version of the Swallow Bullet. AurumStorium.gif|Aurum Storium AurumBlue.gif|Aurum Storium (Enhanced) TaigaUltraFreezer.gif|Ultra Freezer SwallowBulletPE.gif|Swallow Bullet ::;Physical *'Energy Punch': A powerful punch infused with golden energy. *'Deflection': Taiga deflects incoming projectiles using a sparkling golden light from his hand. *'Drop Kick': A powerful jumping drop kick, done with two feet. *'Pile Driver': Taiga grabs the opponent upside down and jumps up, slamming them head first into the ground. *'Rapid Punches': Like Taro, Taiga is able to rapidly punch an opponent, stunning them in place. *'Ultra Chop': A powerful chop, capable of breaking Skull Gomora's horn. TaigaPETregearCounterCrossPunch.gif|Energy Punch PhotonEarthDeflect.gif|Deflection PhotonEarthKick.gif|Drop Kick PhotonEarthPileDriver.gif|Pile Driver PhotonEarthPunch.gif|Rapid Punches PEChop.gif|Ultra Chop - Tri-Strium= Tri-Strium is Taiga's fusion power-up form, accessed through the use of the Taiga Tri Blade, in which he becomes the . Taiga, Titas, Fuma and Hiroyuki become one to grant Taiga a boost in all his stats. This form debuts in episode 16. :;Stats *'Maximum Flight Speed': Mach 15 *'Maximum Running Speed': Mach 5 *'Maximum Jumping Distance': 1500 m *'Underwater Traveling Speed': 300 knots *'Underground Traveling Speed': Mach 3 *'Brute Strength': 100,000 t *'Grip Strength': 80,000 t :;Weapons * : A sword with a flame motif; it allows Taiga to access several finishers. **'Deflection': The Taiga Tri Blade is able to deflect projectiles fired at Taiga. **'Slash Combo': Taiga delivers several energy slashes with the Tri Blade, making a cross-shaped mark before stabbing the blade into its center, blasting through and past the opponent. It's powerful enough to instantly destroy Night Fang, who Taiga had struggled with the durability of before. **'Spinning Drill Attack': Taiga jumps up and rotates his whole body with the Taiga Tri Blade in front of him, becoming a flaming drill that can even break through the Zetton Barrier. ** : Taiga's whole body is coated in fire. He dashes forward, impaling the enemy before exploding. This can be seen as Taiga's version of his father's Ultra Dynamite. ** : Using Titas' power, the Taiga Tri Blade's tip emits a sphere of yellow fire which Taiga swings at the opponent. ** : Using Fuma's power, the Taiga Tri Blade forms a giant wheel of blue fire that cuts through enemies. ** : A blast of multi-colored flames from the tip of the sword, powerful enough to overwhelm the Trera Ardiga and defeat Ultraman Tregear. ** TaigaTriBlade.jpeg|Taiga Tri Blade TriBladeDeflect.gif|Deflection TaigaTriBlade(offensive).gif|Slash Combo TaigaDrillAttack.gif|Spinning Drill Attack TaigaBlastAttack.gif|Taiga Blast Attack TitasBurningHammer.gif|Titas Burning Hammer FumaRekkazan.gif|Fuma Raging Fire Slash TriStriumBurst.gif|Tri-Strium Burst }} Standard Abilities :;Via Ring Type Ultra Taiga Accessories * : After scanning the Hellberus Ring, Taiga unleashes two red crescent-shaped energy arcs. * : After scanning the Galactron Ring, Taiga shoots Galactron MK2's Galactron Geweer from his hand. * : After scanning the Segmeger Ring, Taiga fires Segmeger's poisonous flame from his palms. * : After scanning the Night Fang Ring, Taiga sends a barrage of sound waves to blast the opponent. * : After scanning the Gigadelos Ring, Taiga produces two clones of himself. * : After scanning the Gorothunder Ring, Taiga generates electricity from his Ultra Horns and charges his arms before launching a fiery electrical beam. - Photon Earth= HellSlashPE.gif|Hell Slash FangWavePE.gif|Fang Wave DelosIllusionTaigaPE.gif|Delos Illusion }} :;Via Plasma Zero-let * : Taiga fires a blue laser from his forehead, similar to Zero's Emerium Slash. * : An "L" style beam similar to Ultraman Zero's Wide Zero Shot. * : Taiga fires a rainbow-colored beam from his whole body. - Tri-Strium= Taiga Emerium Blaster.PNG|Taiga Emerium Blaster Wide Taiga Shot.PNG|Wide Taiga Shot TaigaDynamiteShoot.gif|Taiga Dynamite Shoot }} Trivia *Designer: Masayuki Goto *Taiga is the first New Generation Ultra Warrior since Ginga not to feature any black markings in his default form. *According to Taiga s main director, Ryuichi Ichino, the Ultra's age is equivalent to that of a young man in his third year of junior high school or a freshman in senior high school. *Taiga is the only member of the Tri-Squad to have his default rise scene completely done in CGI. *Taiga being the user of O-50 Ultras' bracelets may attributed to the fact that they are the only members of the New Generation Heroes who actively using his father's (Taro's) power as part of their forms. *The tarot card the Fool, as drawn by Kirisaki, carries several meanings and interpretations within the context, both positive and negative.https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/major-arcana/fool/ **The card is numbered 0 of the 22 Major Arcana cards, which is the number of infinite potential. **Overall, the Fool depicts someone who is innocent and has a lot to learn, and that he would have to face many upcoming challenges which are ever present, but the Fool instead looks up and focuses on his journey. Along with the Fool is a small dog, which represents loyalty and protection, which may be an allusion to Taiga's friends. **When drawn, the card is upright, which represents beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, and a free spirit, much like Taiga himself. On the contrary, if the card were to be drawn upside down, it represents someone who is holding back, recklessness, and risk-taking. **Tregear/Kirisaki is simply calling Taiga a fool. *Taiga was once taught by Ultraman 80. Note References Category:Reiwa Ultras Category:Ultraman Taiga Category:Ultraman Taiga Characters Category:Heroes Category:Ultra Warriors Category:Ultras Category:Unique Type Ultras Category:Ultras with a Normal Crest Category:Protagonists Category:Form-Changing Ultras Category:Super Ultras Category:Fusions Category:New Generation Heroes Category:Land of Light Ultras